HELP! private car sale wants refund

Fepearson

VPrivate buyer wants money back &
I need some advice. I sold 1985 Bedford TK Horsebox, the buyer opted not to view it, despite me saying that he should & that it was available for viewings, nor did he get it mechanically checked by anyone - he's got his own automotive company in Berkshire. I took it out last Friday & did about 10 miles, just to tick it over. It drove beautifully. He'd paid someone to pick it up yesterday at 2pm, knowing that I was leaving at 2:45 & would not be back till late. He paid the full amount in bank transfer yesterday before collection. The driver was running 2 hours late, so the buyer said to leave the keys & paperwork in the truck & he was happy for the driver to collect it in my absence. Then I received a message from him whilst I was away from home, saying it keeps cutting out in second gear, the heating doesn't work & it won't drive faster than 50mph. It's NEVER cut out in second with me, ever. Don't think I've ever tried the heater on it if I'm honest - though he never specifically asked about the heater, so I have not mislead him about this & when I took it out on Friday, it did 65mph easily, I know because I had to slow down. He's demanding a refund. I signed a receipt saying the vehicle was sold with the buyer choosing not to view it & had left it in the box with the rest of the paperwork.

I gave him lots of opportunities to view it, but he opted not to. I honestly & genuinely sold it in good faith & I had never experienced the problems that he's reporting. I'm not a mechanic, I'm a private seller, I told him its mot'd till next July & that it runs great - to me it does, always has done.

I've returned home to find the Horsebox back on my drive & he's demanding a full refund. I've checked the mileage & it's done about 10 miles since I left it.

I'd already posted the DVLA documentation before he contacted me saying he wanted a refund.

Please can you advise me as to where I stand with this.

TIA

jimmy_cricket

This is me being cynical but has anything been removed/swapped over on the box? You do suggest that he is in the trade, so it might be a way to get free spares.

m0bov

Its his property, just move it back into the road and leave it.

Rain_Shadow

How much did he pay you for it?

Rain_Shadow

Have you taken it for a short drive to confirm the faults he is claiming?

Car_54

Rain_Shadow wrote: »

Have you taken it for a short drive to confirm the faults he is claiming?

That would be foolish, since it's not his property and (presumably) isn't taxed or insured.

m0bov

Do you have contact details for the buyer? If so, tell him you will charge storage of £50 per day if he does not collect the van within 24 hours.

Rain_Shadow

Car_54 wrote: »

That would be foolish, since it's not his property and (presumably) isn't taxed or insured.

Indeed. But then I didn't suggest he should. I simply asked if he had.

Fepearson

Thanks for your responses. I've spoken to the CAB & it's my favour. They've helped me draft a written communication & I've sent that off.

I told him repeatedly to come & view it. I was very surprised that he opted not to view it, given its 31 years old

macman

If you didn't misrepresent the vehicle to him, either in your advert or any phone conversations, then you can simply ignore his request. The vehicle was sold as seen-you never gave any warranty concerning the heater, gearbox or top speed.
I'm wondering if this is a bizzare scam of some kind-perhaps he was looking for a gearbox, or some other part, for the same vehicle, and has swapped it out and is now trying to get his money back? That might explain why he was uninterested in the overall condition, nor wanted to test drive it?

Richard53

macman wrote: »

I'm wondering if this is a bizzare scam of some kind-perhaps he was looking for a gearbox, or some other part, for the same vehicle, and has swapped it out and is now trying to get his money back? That might explain why he was uninterested in the overall condition, nor wanted to test drive it?

I doubt it. If he was interested in (say) the gearbox, surely he would have wanted a test drive to make sure he was getting a good one? Otherwise, it's a lot of risk for a random outcome.